Tokyo -- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi Tuesday slashed three
Japanese students and a Japanese teacher for staging an obscene performance at a
university in Xi'an, western China.

Speaking to journalists, Kawaguchi emphasized that students studying abroad
should understand and respect the customs of their host countries.

The Japanese students and teacher, who were studying and teaching in the
Northwest China University in the city of Xi'an, performed obscene dances last
Wednesday with red bras and false genitalia at an evening party held by the
university's foreign language school.

The obscene performance sparked strong indignation among the students of the
university, who gathered Thursday in front of the university's foreign students
dormitory and demanded that the Japanese teacher and students apologize for
their action.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also urged the Japanese government to
educate Japanese students in China to abide by the laws and regulations of China
and the rules of Chinese universities as well as to respect Chinese people's
customs to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The Japanese students and teacher were expelled Thursday by the university
authorities.